Annapoorneshwari Rathotsava, Horanadu.

Akshaya Thadige, popularly known as Akshaya Tritiya is a very auspicious occasion. It is also known as Akha Teej and is celebrated on the third day of Shukla Paksha in the month of Vaishakha, according to the Hindu calendar. According to the Gregorian calendar, the festival usually is celebrated in April or May. Lord Vishnu is worshipped on the day of Akshaya Tritiya and people buy Gold and real estate on this day as it is considered auspicious and heralds future wealth and prosperity. Akshaya Tritiya also commemorates many events from mythology that are believed to have taken place on this day. The day is believed to have been the day when the Treta Yuga began and Parashurama, the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu was born. Akshaya Tritiya is also believed to have been the auspicious day when Veda Vyasa started dictating the Mahabharata to Ganesha. Other mythological events that are believed to have taken place on this day include the descent of the Ganga to earth, and the famous meeting of two childhood friends, Krishna and Sudama. Akshaya Tritiya also marks the birth of Goddess Annapurna, the Goddess of food and nourishment. Akshaya Tritiya also marks the end of winter and the onset of summer, it also heralds the start of the construction of the chariot for the famous Jagannath Rath Yatra of Puri. Various deities including Vishnu, Ganesh, and Kuber, the God of wealth are worshipped on the occasion of Akshaya Tritiya. The rituals include fasting and offering Naivedyam to the deities and worship with Akshata - rice coated with turmeric. Akshaya Tritiya is thus an auspicious day to start new ventures and pray for everlasting peace and prosperity.